running for cover, more deadly tornadoes pound the nation's mid section, as mother nature continues her relentless assault. disaster in joplin, hundreds still missing after sunday's killer twister, as searchers race against time, hoping to find survivors. and signing off. after 25 years and 5,000 shows, oprah winfrey leaves her throne as the queen of daytime talk. captioning funded by cbs

good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. violent storms are moving east this morning, after tornadoes killed at least nine people in oklahoma, kansas and arkansas. forecasters say the greatest threat of tornadoes is from the mississippi valley. at least five people were killed when twisters hit during rush hour. in kansas, two people died when high winds knocked a huge tree onto their van. two more were killed in arkansas and around dallas, severe thunderstorms dropped baseball sized hail and left 70,000 people without power. terrell brown has more. >> reporter: this was one of several tornadoes that roared through the suburbs of oklahoma city right after rush hour tuesday. the twisters turned over tanker trucks, tore down trees and leveled homes. >> i was expecting trees gone, maybe roof, but obviously totally, totally gone.

had the house here, we had a three-car garage, two-story garage apartment, silo, another house. >> reporter: the car tim's wife just bought is now leaning against a tree but he's looking at what he didn't lose. >> the family is all safe and that's what matters. >> reporter: within hours of the tornado's hitting, homeowners started searching for anything they could salvage. this devastating twister carved out a distinct path in the land below a news shop from oklahoma city cbs affiliate. >> look at that guys, that's just unbelievable. this is just one damage path. >> reporter: the winds dumped a huge pile of debris into a lake. >> right now guys, i can tell you that they are searching for missing people. >> reporter: tornado watches were issued for 28 counties across oklahoma, extending into tuesday night. terrell brown, cbs news. >> again storms from that same system also battered a town already in ruins from one of the worst tornadoes in history. [ sirens ] tornado sirens wailed once again

in joplin, missouri, as the storms approached but this time no twisters touched down and no the national weather service upgraded sunday's tornado to an ef5, the strongest rating, meaning it packed winds of up to 200 miles per hour or greater. liza moore has more now from joplin. >> reporter: going pile to pile, in a systematic grid, rescuers are working methodically to find survivors, focusing on big box stores and apartment complexes. >> we hope to find people still in void areas. >> reporter: crews listened for any signs of life in the rubble. an "x" marks the spot already cleared by search teams. >> hello? >> reporter: family and friends are also looking for loved ones. michelle hair's 16-year-old son, lance, was in a car with friends. >> the friend with him was on the phone with him, heard the swoosh possibly where the car was being picked up and carried off. i need confirmation whether he's dead or alive. >> reporter: steven campbell was

in his house with his wife. he was hit in the head and at this point hopes his wife might be an unidentified hospital patient. >> emotionally, i'm gone. it's beyond gone. just too much. >> reporter: a curfew has been put in place until 6:00 a.m. for everyone inside the footprint of this tornado. police want to eliminate the possibly of looting, and there's another concern on the horizon, deadly tornadoes touched down in oklahoma tuesday. >> and there's a whole line of supercells that are moving to the east-northeast. i could just hope and pray they don't reach here. >> reporter: after surveying the damage across town, the national weather service upgraded the tornado to an ef5, the highest on the enhanced tornado rating scale. the joplin tornado was the eighth deadliest single tornado on record. liza moore for cbs news, joplin, missouri. now to politics, democrats are celebrating this morning after taking a seat long held by

republicans in upstate new york. kathy hoakhold deseated jane corwin in what's widely seen as a referendum on medicare. corwin was favored to win but saw it evaporate. the special election came after congressman chris lee resigned. lee quit in february, when shirtless photos that he sent to a woman who wasn't his wife turned up online. former senator john edwards may be prosecuted for violating campaign finance laws. the justice department is reportedly about to file charges against him. a grand jury has been looking into allegations edwards used $1 million in campaign money to hide the identity of his mistress. president obama is in london this morning on day two of his state visit to britain. today he'll meet with prime minister david cameron and address the british parliament. last night, though, mr. obama, along with mrs. obama, were guests of honor at a state dinner. during the president's toast to the queen, there was an awkward moment.

>> this realm, this england, to the queen. >> the president turned to toast the queen, then realized, he had to wait for the song "god save the queen" to end before glasses were raised, and earlier he visited westminster abbey and signed the guest book where he wrote the wrong year "2008" instead of 2011. guess it happens to all of us. in other news, the pentagon has its secret helicopter back. during the raid in pakistan that killed osama bin laden, the classified stealth helicopter was damaged. navy s.e.a.l.s destroyed it to keep stealth technology to keep it from falling into unfriendly hands. the package was returned earlier this week. ash from that erupting volcano in iceland is beginning to disrupt air travel in europe. it shows the smoke plume drifting high over the north atlantic. hundreds of flights were canceled in scotland and scandinavia yesterday and dozens

more in northern germany today. on the cbs money watch, stocks in asia were down today. eye knees foray is in new york with a look at that today. >> good morning, betty. that's right. a down day for the asian markets. both tokyo's nikkei and hong kong's hang sang fell a fraction. the nikkei to a two-month low and the price of oil dropped to under $99 a barrel. today wall street gets the latest on the manufacturing sector. tuesday's stocks another rough day, the dow dropped 25 points, the nasdaq lost 13. the government may see some cash from its stake in aig this week. the treasury department will sell 200 million shares of the insurance giant it was forced to bail out in 2008. based on the share price, they should squeeze out a narrow profit, but even after the transaction is complete, the government will still own 77% of the company. americans are doing a better

job of paying off their plastic, according to the credit agency transunion, late payments on credit cards fell in the first quarter to their lowest level in 15 years. the average debt per person also dropped to just shy of $4,700, down 9% from a year ago. if caffeine doesn't give you a jolt, the cost of your morning joe might. the maker of folgers and prepacked dunkin' donuts coffee has announced its fourth increase this year. kraft and starbucks also hiked prices recently. all blame supply and demand as the world drinks more java. and another reason to hate your morning commute turns out it could be bad for your relationship. a study out of sweden finds a commute of 45 minutes or more increases the risk of divorce by 40%. if you can last five years it decreases, because families get used to it. this could explain a lot, betty. >> yes, it could. try to find employment near your

home i guess. ines ferre joining us live in new york, thanks so much for that. a shocking murder/suicide in san diego, a family of four all drowned. now police are looking for answers. this is the "cbs morning news." we all want cleaner laundry. we all want a world with fewer chemicals. we all want the best of both worlds. introducing all free clear oxi-active. a powerful new detergent without dyes or perfumes that helps get out your toughest dirt and stains. its added natural cleaning boosters help get your whole family's wash incredibly clean. tough on stains. gentle on skin. new all free clear oxi-active.

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a family of four was found dead in san diego and police say it looks like a case of murder/suicide. three of the family members were found in a backyard swimming pool tuesday. the fourth body was in a bathtub in the house. police say it looks like one family member killed the others, but they're still trying to determine exactly what happened. >> we don't know who the suspect is at this point. >> i only know my brother called me, walked in, seen everybody in the pool. >> the dead include the parents and two daughters, ages 9 and 17. the motive remains unknown.

a competency hearing will be held today in tucson, arizona, for jared loughner, who is charged in january's shooting rampage. the hearing will determine if he should stand trial for shooting 18 people, killing 6 and wounding congresswoman gabrielle giffords. giffords is back at a rehab center in houston, texas, recovering from surgery last week to replace the portion of her skull that was shattered by a bullet. in salt lake city today, brian mitchell will be sentenced for the kidnapping and rape of elizabeth smart in 2002. mitchell was convicted last year and faces a possible life sentence. smart testified at his trial but he was not in court at the time, so today may be the first time she publicly confronts her abductor. now to the florida murder trial of casey anthony. both sides gave opening statements in the case against the young mother accused of killing her own daughter. then the trial took a startling turn. manuel gallegus reports.

>> reporter: casey anthony cried as her attorney dropped a bo bombshell. anthony is accused of of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, caylee, two years ago. but during opening statements her attorney claimed the death was a terrible accident. >> cayleeant knee died june 16th, 2u 2408, when she drowned in her family's swimming pool. >> reporter: defense attorney jose baez says her father george, found the child's body. the defense painted a picture of a victim of abuse, living in a dysfunctional family. >> you will hear about ugly things, secret things, when casey was 8 years old and her father came into her room and began to touch her inappropriately. >> reporter: then another defense surprise claiming the man who led police to the body, roy crock, in fact, put the body there, hoping to collect the reward. the prosecution's first witness was george anthony. he adamantly denied he had anything to do with caylee's

death or that he ever hurt his daughter. >> have you ever sexually molested your daughter, casey anthony? >> no, sir. >> casey anthony shook her head when she heard her father's denial. her attorney grilled him on the stand, trying to poke holes in his testimony. in her opening statement the prosecutor portrayed anthony as a habitual liar who partied and shopped for a month before admitting her daughter was gone. if convicted of first-degree murder she could face the death penalty. manuel gallegus, cbs, orlando. a lawsuit has been filed by the family of brian stowe, the san francisco giants fan beaten after a game in los angeles in march. the suit filed against the owner of the dodgers claims that security cutbacks were partially to blame for the attack. stowe remains in critical condition. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather and in sports, miami and chicago take it to overtime in the nba playoffs.

finally, there's a choice for my patients with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or afib, that's not caused by a heart valve problem. today we have pradaxa to reduce the risk of a stroke caused by a clot. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mg reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin. and with pradaxa, there's no need for those regular blood tests. pradaxa is progress. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have kidney problems or a bleeding condition, like stomach ulcers. or if you take aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures,

and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if pradaxa can reduce your risk of a stroke. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. miami sunny and breezy, 85. chicago thunderstorms, 68. dallas, sunny, 92. los angeles, sunny and 73. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture

shows cloudy skies in the northwest. the southwest remains mainly clear. gray skies extend from the great plains into the mississippi and tennessee valleys. much of the east coast has clear skies. later today severe thunderstorms will develop in the mississippi and tennessee valleys, including possible tornadoes. the northeast will have a mild sunny afternoon, a few isolated thunderstorms are likely in the mid-atlantic states. scattered showers will move back into the northwest, while the rest of the west coast remains dry. in sports, miami is just one win away from advancing to the nba finals. scoring in overtime the heat's lebron james finished with the game high 35 points and the miami defense shut down chicago's derrick rose. the 101-93 victory gives the heat a 3-1 series lead. game five is thursday night in chicago. now to baseball, st. louis

pulled out an extra inning win over san diego, with two outs in the 11th inning, the cardinals' daniel descalso singled in the go-ahead run and lance burkmann made a great diving catch in left field to prevent a rally. look at that. the cards won it 3-2. in philadelphia with the score tied in the ninth inning, cincinnati's double to the wall, that cleared the bases against philadelphia, and the reds got the 6-3 victory over the phillies. and in the american league, baltimore's adam jones blasted a two-run walk-off home run against kansas city. the orioles defeated the royals 5-3. when we return another look at this morning's top stories, and farewell to the queen. oprah winfrey says good-bye to daytime tv. depression is a serious medical condition. i feel like i have to wind myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest,

the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq -- a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain -- serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nset pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease, or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side-effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping me treat my depression.

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. another round of severe thunderstorms will develop in the mississippi and tennessee valleys this afternoon. these storms could produce strong tornadoes, scattered showers, those are likely in the northwest, while the southwest will be hot. here's another look at this morning's top stories. another swarm of tornadoes raced across the nation's mid section yesterday, killing at least nine people. this morning, cities from memphis to indianapolis are bracing for the worst, as the deadly storm system heads east. and in tornado-stricken joplin, missouri, a race against time as rescuers search for survivors. so far, nine have been pulled from the rubble, but many more are still missing. sunday's tornado killed at least 122 people and injured 750 others. after 5,000 episodes, the

queen of daytime talk steps down from her throne today, with the very last oprah winfrey show. fans lined up around the block in chicago to attend the final taping. unlike some of her other shows this week, the finale did not feature hollywood a-listers or legends of music and politics. instead, oprah offered a simple thank you to her audience and viewers for what they've meant to her during the show's 25-year run. >> she was alone on the stage the entire time, just speaking to the audience, and mostly giving gratitude. >> everyone was quiet. it was really quiet. >> it was like church and a family reunion and just nothing but love. it really felt like -- >> you were there with your family sitting there in church, i guess you could say. >> reporter: later fans caught a glimpse as oprah reportedly in tears drove away from the studio. just because the show is going away doesn't mean she is. there's a new oprah winfrey

network along with oprah radio, the oprah magazine, her book club and so on. wish her the best. this morning on "the early show," live reports from the latest deadly twister. i'm betty nguyen. epower, "infiniti surround sound, "seating for seven -- wait. this is a minivan?" makes you almost want to have kids. [ child screams ] [ male announcer ] almost. the new 2011 dodge grand caravan. now get $2,000 cash allowance or 0% financing for 60 months on select 2011 dodge grand caravans. [ male announcer ] know the feeling? try acuvue® oasys brand contact lenses with hydraclear® plus for exceptional comfort. it feels like it disappeared on my eye! [ male announcer ] discover why it's the brand eye doctors trust most for comfort. acuvue® oasys brand. get an extra ten percent off mattresses already half off. and instant savings up to three hundred fifty

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it's 4 minutes before 5:00. we have a visible half moon overhead. let's take a look at the out look. we'll be in the upper 60s now and low 70s around the region. noticeably less humid. still a warm day. not as humid as a day. we'll be in the mid-70s after dinner and really, no chance of rain or thunderstorms today. more fatalities are confirmed in a fresh batch of tornadoes overnight. >> there's a triple shooting that leaves three young

children critically wounded. >> i don't understand why. it baffled my mind. just ignore the parents completely. >> extreme bullying leads to sexual abuse. what happened inside a maryland school. and a flash mob of teens run amuck in a restaurant. we'll have more information in a few minutes. mmm. ahh. yeah. bacon. come celebrate baconalia! only at denny's. america's diner is always open.

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